2012 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento - Frankfurt Auto Show

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At the Frankfurt Auto Show, Lamborghini released a special edition of its Gallardo supercar called the LP-570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale. It's a lightweight, hardcore version of the normal Gallardo. It can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.4 seconds, and will only be produced in an exclusive run of 150 cars.

That was a little too pedestrian for the likes of Lamborghini, so the company also revealed that it would make a production version of the extreme Sesto Elemento. Both cars have similar powertrains, so what makes the Sesto Elemento so special?

It's mostly about what it doesn't have: weight. Thanks to its carbon fiber construction, the Sesto Elemento weighs just 2,200 pounds. That's less than a Mini Cooper. But unlike the Mini, the new Lamborghini packs a 570 horsepower V10 engine and all wheel drive. The combination of low weight, gobs of power and all-wheel traction help the Sesto Elemento blaze from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds.

So what's not to like? Well there's the $2.8 million price tag. To put that in perspective, superstar tennis player Novak Djokovic could bring all of the money he earned winning the US Open on Monday, and he would still have to try and hawk his trophy for an additional $500,000 before Lamborghini would hand over the keys.

The Sesto Elemento first appeared as a concept for the 2010 Paris Auto Show, to demonstrate just how extreme Lamborghini could be. But no one truly believed it would make it to production.

But sell it they will. Twenty of the blazingly fast, ultra lightweight hyper cars will go on sale in 2013.

Just remember that if you're enough to get one, you won't be able to take your new car for a spin around the block. The Sesto Elemento isn't street legal and can only be driven on racetracks.

J. MARK STERNBERG is an automotive journalist, car enthusiast and writer with a degree from the University of Arizona. Mark is a devoted Formula 1 fan and also enjoys boating, flying and attending the occasional track day..